Joining two flocks and housing

[Bush84]

So I raised 9 buff orps this spring. This is my first venture in poultry. I built a chicken tractor that can safely house about 10 chickens. I have a big dirt floor shed that is unused but wanted to build the small coop before I committed to altering the shed to safety keep chickens. If I didn't enjoy it then no big deal. Well my brother and his wife kept a few chickens in town and wanted them gone. So I just inherited 6 new chickens. They are all different breeds. All hens. as of now they are in that shed. I also have three buff orp roosters from my original flock. So now onto questions.

1. Should I try to put all of them in the shed or keep them split up? Maybe just put one rooster in?

2. I generally free range my chickens...if I keep two flocks will they fight when I let them out?

3. Any advice in general?

I was thinking about keeping a breeding flock in the small coop and the rest in the shed. For now I am going to keep them locked up in there until I can figure out what to do.

 

[aart]

Might have been easiest to put all the birds in the shed at the same time...all new territory for all the birds, should lessen territoriality aggression issues.


Here's some notes I've taken on integration that I found to be very helpful.......
......take what applies or might help and ignore the rest.
See if any of them, or the links provided at the bottom, might offer some tips that will assist you in your situation:

Integration of new chickens into flock.

Consider medical quarantine:
BYC Medical Quarantine Article
Poultry Biosecurity
BYC 'medical quarantine' search

Confine new birds within sight but physically segregated from older/existing birds for several weeks, so they can see and get used to each other but not physically interact. Integrating new birds of equal size works best.

For smaller chicks I used a large wire dog crate right in the coop for the smallers. I removed the crate door and put up a piece of wire fencing over the opening and bent up one corner just enough for the smallers to fit thru but the biggers could not. Feed and water inside the crate for the smallers. Make sure the smallers know how to get in and out of the crate opening before exposing them to the olders. this worked out great for me, by the time the crate was too small for the them to roost in there(about 3 weeks), they had pretty much integrated themselves to the olders.

If you have too many smallers to fit in a crate you can partition off part of the coop with a wire wall and make the same openings for smallers escape.


The more space, the better. Birds will peck to establish dominance, the pecked bird needs space to get away. As long as there's no blood drawn and/or new bird is not trapped/pinned down, let them work it out. Every time you interfere or remove new birds, they'll have to start the pecking order thing all over again.

Multiple feed/water stations. Dominance issues are most often carried out over sustenance, more stations lessens the frequency of that issue.

Places for the new birds to hide out of line of sight and/or up and away from any bully birds.

In adjacent runs, spread scratch grains along the dividing mesh, best of mesh is just big enough for birds to stick their head thru, so they get used to eating together.

Another option, if possible, is to put all birds in a new coop and run, this takes the territoriality issues away.

Read up on integration..... BYC advanced search>titles only>integration
This is good place to start reading:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/adding-to-your-flock

 

[barneveldrerman]

Whenever you have birds of different ages and sometimes breeds they will fight. You could introduce them into the flock you already have. They may get along after a while. If you do merge flocks watch and makesure they get along.


Hope this helped!

 

[Bush84]

My proble with just joining them is that 15 chickens would probably be to many to put in my existing coop. It's one of those a frame coops with a run on the bottom. The run is 4x8 and the coop space is about 3x8. So not sure 15 chickens can safely fit in that small of a space. Also the large shed is not predator proof at all. It's dirt floor would allow anything to dig under. So I would be nervous to put all my chickens in there until it's safe. It's a huge shed and I don't plan on running a commercial operation so my plan is to section a corner off and bury some hardware cloth to prevent diggers from getting in. But until that's done I'm nervous risking all my chickens.

 

[21hens-incharge]

The coop/run you made is not big enough for even the birds you already had. You need to utilize the shed. It is your best low cost option right now.

 

[barneveldrerman]

I would predator safe your shed then. Each chicken needs a MINIMUM of 4 sq. feet.

 

[21hens-incharge]

For the 15 birds you need at least a 10 x 15 run as well. It will give the minimum needed space for them in the run. Go bigger is better so if you can make a larger than 10x15 run please for the sake of your birds do it.

Just trying to save you from when they reach adulthood and start arguing over who gets this spot and who gets that spot. They can be horrid toward each other and in over crowded conditions they can and will draw blood. Blood draws more pecking and before you know it you have a dead hen and bloody feathers on everyone else.

You are in MN so that means snow correct?

You will likely have to shovel the run out in the winter if you do not make it with a roof.

 

[Bush84]

Thanks for the insight. I work 12 hour shifts most of the week and Sunday was the day I had off and was also the day I was picking them up. By the time I got home I only had enough to make sure they had food and water. So as of now they are separated. My buff orps in the coop and new chickens in the shed.

This shed is huge. It is minimum 35x60 feet. There are two sliding doors that I have no idea how to keep something from digging under. I can dig in some hardware cloth along the sides but I don't know how to make that work for the sliding doors. So as I said I want to section them off in the back third.

Also I don't have any real runs. I have that one in the small coop under their housing but is still part of the coop. In the morning they get let out to roam. They have lots of outdoor space to roam. They really only sleep in the coop and can go downstairs whenever they want.

I think you guys are right though about putting them in the shed. I have some time off coming up. I will first get more lighting in there and another outlet or two. Then figure out the digging prevention.

How high of a divider do I need to build? The rafters are crazy high. I want to mainly use the divider to keep chickens in their section and keep predators that have gotten in the shed from getting in the chickens section.

 

[21hens-incharge]

I would make it so I can comfortably walk into the section the chickens are in. Six foot tall should work for most people but seven foot is better if someone tall is going to go in there.
You can run wire over the top to keep them from getting out of the chicken area. It will also help keep other things from getting in.

I would lay large pavers under the sliding doors. You may have to dig down a bit to get them in there but that worked for me on my old barn. I would go 3 courses with the middle course under the center of the door. I hope that makes sense how I described it.


You may find that free ranging them allows many predators free access to them. You may want to make a run off of the chicken area to keep them safe while you are away.

Just sayin since I have had the following attempt my coop and run.

Hawk
Fox
Raccoon
skunk

(I am in the middle of town too.)

 

[barneveldrerman]

The divider needs a about about 6 feet tall. I would make it so that no predator can get in. Their can be Hawks, raccoons, stray dogs, and ect. It sounds like it's possible and that it will be a nice coop. Let me know how it goes.